Sundarbans
Fisherman injured in tiger attack in the Sundarbans
A fisherman was injured by a Royal Bengal Tiger on the Bhola river in Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans on Sunday morning.
Abu Saleh Akon, 45, son of Amir Ali of Bajikarkhand village in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat district, survived the attack. He has been making his living by fishing in the Sundarbans for almost 30 years.
He is currently undergoing treatment at Mongla Upazila Health Complex.
According to family sources, Abu Saleh and Md Hanif went to catch fish and crabs in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans when a tiger attacked Abu Saleh while he was netting in Amurbunia area of Bhola river around 8am. At one point, Abu Saleh jumped into the river and the tiger left him and returned to the forest.
Also read: The big cat count: Tiger census in Sunderbans begins in April
Later, Hanif rescued him and rushed him to the Health Complex.
Faisal Hossain Swarna, a doctor at the Health Complex, said there are several marks created by tiger's paws and teeth on the fisherman’s body. “But he is out of danger now.”
However, Jahangir Alam, Jiudhara station officer of Chandpai range in the eastern part of the Sundarbans, said that Abu Saleh had entered the forest without permission from the Forest Department.
“It was not possible for the Forest Department to provide any assistance to the fisherman as he entered the forest without permission.”
Also read: Tiger recovered from Sundarbans canal most likely died of natural causes
Muhammad Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Eastern Division of the Sundarbans, said the matter is being investigated.
At least 50 fishermen and beekeepers from Sharankhola, Morelganj and Mongla upazilas adjacent to the Sundarbans in Bagerhat got injured in tiger attacks in 20 years. Some have lost their eyes in these attacks.
Crocodile rescued at Bagerhat shrimp enclosure freed in the Sundarbans
Forest officials rescued a crocodile from a shrimp enclosure at Bururdanaga village in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat district on Tuesday. The 5-feet long crocodile is suspected to be seven years old and it came to the enclosure through crossing canals and rivers in the area, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of Karamjal Wild Animal Breeding Centre.
Also read:Rescued crocodile released back in Sundarban river
Akram Ali, an owner of the shrimp enclosure, informed the forest officials after finding the crocodile in his farm. Later, a team of forest officials rescued it and released it in the Sundarbans. So far, 206 crocodiles have been released in the canals and rivers of the Sundarbans and there are 92 crocodiles in the Karamjal breeding centre.
Also read:Rescued crocodile released back into the wild in Sundarbans
10-feet long python rescued from Bagerhat village
A 10-feet long python was rescued from a vegetable field in Sarankhola upazila of Bagerhat district on Saturday.
The python weighing 12 Kg was rescued from the field in sluice gate area adjacent to Gabtala Bazar in the upazila.
The python got trapped in a net set around the field of a local trader named Delwar Hossain, said Md Sadik Mahmud, station officer of Sarankhola range of Sundarbans East Forest Department.
After being informed, members of Wild Team, a wild life conservation organization, rescued the python and it was released in Sarankhola range area of the forest later, he said.
The python might have crossed the Baleswar River and entered the locality in search of food, said the forest department officer.
Six held for illegally netting fish in Sundarbans
Six people have been detained for illegally catching fish in the Satkhira range of the Sundarbans, forest officials said on Wednesday.
The detainees have been identified as Mafizul Sardar, 45, son of Mozam Sardar, Salam Gazi, 45, son of Sanaullah Gazi, Rokonuzzaman, 42, son of Rezaul Gazi, Rusul Amin, 36, son of Ali Box, Billal Gazi, son of Shaheed Gazi, and Mohibulllah Gazi, 28, son of Mostafa Gazi of Koyra upazila.
Read: Hoseni Dalan blast case: Two sentenced to jail, six acquitted
Acting on a tip-off, a forest department team, led by Kobatak forest station officer Nasiruddin, conducted a drive in the deep forests of the Sundarbans on Tuesday morning and caught the six red-handed.
"The six were netting fish in the morning by spraying poison in the deep waters of the Sundarbans," said MA Hasan, assistant forest conservator of the Sundarbans Satkhira range.
Fishermen who indulge in unauthorised fishing in the deep waters of the Sundarbans often spray poison to net fish quickly.
Read: 9 to die in Naogaon for triple murder
The forest officials also seized 50kg of fish, 10 bottles of poison, and nets worth Tk one lakh from the possession of the detainees.
"The detainees were later handed over to police," Hasan said.
Spotted deer released in Sundarbans after being rescued
The forest department has rescued a spotted deer from Mongla in Bagerhat and released it in the Sundarbans.
Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in the eastern part of the Sundarbans, said they rescued the deer, which was roaming in the locality after crossing the Sundarbans canal about eight months ago, from EPZ area of Mongla after being informed by the locals in the morning.
READ: Deer that crossed over from India dies after locals give chase
The deer, approximately 5 years old, was later released in the Sundarbans after giving first aid as it sustained injury marks on its legs, abdomen and neck.
Azad Kabir said the deer crossed Dhangmari canal and entered the Baniyashanta area of Dakop upazila in Khulna district about eight months ago. After that the deer crossed the river and started roaming in Mongla area.
Critically-endangered Batagur Baska lays 34 eggs in the Sundarbans
Another Batagur Baska, a rare species of river turtle, has laid 34 eggs at Wildlife Breeding Centre in Karamjal in the Sundarbans.
The tortoise laid these eggs on the bank of the pond of the breeding center on Saturday night. The Forest Department is trying to hatch the babies naturally by keeping the eggs covered with sand, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of the centre.
Read: Sundarbans tourism to cost more as authorities move to boost revenue income
The eggs are kept in a specific temperature and humidity in the breeding center area and are constantly monitored.
The forest department said the eggs are expected to hatch after 65-67 days.
Batagur Baska is one of the most critically endangered turtles in the world and can only be found in the wild in the mangroves of Bangladesh and India.
In 2017, two turtles of the same species laid 63 eggs, of which 57 hatched. In 2018, two turtles laid 46 eggs, of which 26 hatched. In 2019, one turtle laid 32 eggs and all of them hatched, while in 2020, two turtles laid 56 eggs of which 52 hatched. Till 2021, 241 tortoises have hatched from these eggs.
Research on this rare species of tortoise is underway in the Sundarbans.
According to Azad Kabir, two tortoises fitted with GPS transmitter satellites were released from Karamjal in 2017, five each in 2018 and 2019 in different rivers and canals of the Sundarbans to get information about the life cycle, reproduction and numbering of endangered Batagur Baska tortoises.
Of the 12 turtles with satellites, one died in Barisal in 2018, two were roaming in India, and two were caught in the nets of fishermen after roaming different rivers and canals.
Read: Tiger recovered from Sundarbans canal most likely died of natural causes
Later, the two turtles were rescued from the fishermen and kept in the pond of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center. They do not know the current location of the remaining of the turtles fitted with satellites.
In 2014, this turtle breeding center was set up in the pond of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in the Sundarbans with 11 male and four female tortoises of Batagur Baska species. Later, a few more baby turtles were collected from different areas and released in the pond.
Sundarbans tourism to cost more as authorities move to boost revenue income
Tourism-based business in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, are bracing for losses after the authorities moved to boost revenue by making visit to the region more expensive.
The government has recently launched steps to increase the revenue income from tourists in Sundarbans. This is being done by doubling the tour-related tariffs and taxes imposed on visitors to attractive tourist destination in the Bay of Bengal.
The higher visiting cost is driving many tourists away, according to tour operators.
The operators are trying to recover some of its losses caused by Covid-19 but the increased taxes may push the tourism business to uncertainty.
Hit hard by the Covid pandemic the fishermen, wood-collectors and honey collectors in the Sundarbans are also facing losses as the forest authorities have steeply raised the target of revenue collection from them.
4 ‘deer poachers’ held in Khulna
Forest Department officials have detained four suspected deer poachers with traps from Sundarbans in Koyra upazila of Khulna.
The detainees were--Kohinur Islam, 27, Aminul Rahman, 28, Ahsan Dulal, 26, and Helal Gazi, 25, of Jorshing village of the upazila.
AZM Hasanur Rahman, Khulna Range Assistant Forest Conservator (ACF), said the four men were held from Murli Kuruli Khal area of Sundarbans around 7pm on Thursday.
Read: 2 forest officials injured in attack by deer hunters in Bagerhat
At that time, 500 deer traps and three boats were seized from their possession.
A case has been filed against the poachers in this regard, he said.
They were also produced before the court of Koyra Upazila Senior Judicial Magistrate, the official added.
Dead tiger’s autopsy conducted in Sundarbans
The autopsy of the tiger, which was found dead in the Sundarbans in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district on Friday, was conducted on Saturday.
Dr. Tofazzel Hossain, a livestock officer, who conducted the autopsy at Sharankhola Range office, suspected that the tiger died due to old age.
Earlier, the livestock officers of Forest Department and Wild Life teams examined the dead tiger and sent its organs including teeth, liver, lung and others to Dhaka for forensic test.
On Friday noon, the forest officials found the carcass of the tiger, aged about 16-17 years and lenth about 9 feet and 4.2 feet high, from Ruper Canal adjacent to Dublarchar of the Sndarbans East zone.
“No sign of injury was found on the carcass of the tiger and all of its organs were found normal,” said Dr Tofazzel.
Samsul Arefin, assistant forest conservator of Sundarbans East Department, said, “The tiger might have died two or three days ago. The actual reason will be known after getting the forensic report.”
According to the forest department, a total of 40 tigers died from 2001 to January 28, 2022 in the Sundarbans and of these, 24 deaths were reported in Sundarbans East Zone and 16 in the Sundarbans West Zone.
Besides, a number of tigers were beaten to death by people while some others due to natural disaster and some due to old-age.
Skins of 20 tigers were recovered during this period.
The number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans was 114, according to a survey published in 2018.
DFO Muhammad Belayet Hossain said the government has taken various initiatives to protect tigers. Habitats for wildlife, including tigers, have been increased in the Sundarbans.
In 2017, the government expanded the sanctuary area in the Sundarbans.
Out of the total forest area of 6,01,700 hectares, now the sanctuary area is 3,17,900 hectares which was only 1,39,700 hectares earlier.
Rescued python released in Sundarbans
A 10-feet python was released in the Sundarbans after being rescued by members of Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT) and WildTeam, wildlife conservation organization, at North Tafalbari village in Sarankhola Upazila Tuesday afternoon.
Locals spotted the python in a pond of Jiten Gain of the village and informed the Forest Department.
On information, VTRT members rushed to the spot and rescued the python weighing 20-25 kg.
Read: Python released in Kaptai National Park
Md. Shamsul Arefin, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Sarankhola Range, said the python might have entered the locality in search of food.
On December 13, another python was caught by local people at Zilbunia village of Sarankhola Upazila and then it was released in the Sundarbans.
According to the Forest Department, over 100 pythons were rescued in the last one year from different adjacent areas of the Sundarbans.